


Ring of Golden Light

by Kurokosou



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, Immortal Lance, Langstron Gift Exchange 2020, M/M, Magic AU, Questionable Relationship, Temporary Character Death, demon hunk, demon hunter AU, demon hunter lance, loss of limbs mentioned, lots of blood, mildy dubious relationship, tsundere lance kinda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:47:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27327577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kurokosou/pseuds/Kurokosou
Summary: “I know what you really are, so there’s no use playing innocent.”“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about!” The teen continued, cowering in trepid fear. “Please! I’m just a kid! I don’t have any money!”“Yeah, sorry, but Lance isn’t an easy guy to fool,” a new voice spoke. The amused chuckled that followed pulled the teen’s attention to the wall, spying a man sitting on the side of the wall as though it were horizontally flat. The man pushed off from the wall, seeming to glide rather than fall with a controlled pace, feet landing with an impossibly silent touch. He flashed at a grin at the stunned youth, eyes gleaming with a golden aura. “I gotta admit though – even I wouldn’t have noticed if Lance wasn’t so…intimately familiar with all a demon’s ticks~”
Relationships: Hunk/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 12
Collections: Langst Halloween Exchange 2020





	Ring of Golden Light

**Author's Note:**

  * For [koalaoshiz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/koalaoshiz/gifts).



> Happy belated Halloween! I did...absolutely nothing for Halloween cuz I was working and was too tired by the time I got home, so \o/
> 
> My gift for koalaoshiz, aka KaptainKoala for the Langstron Exchange! Surprise! Hope you like it, boo~ 😘

The cityscape gleamed bright and relentless against the inky black skies, the stars unable to compete with the bustling life of the city, fading into the night like the countless faces passing each other by on the crowded streets. Strides of people passed and moved along their way, all strangers, all uncaring and ignorant to what lurks in the shadows of their daily lives. They paid no mind to anything but their own businesses, had no inkling that something sinister slinks in the dark corners of their world.

“ _Hey!_ ”

“Watch it, you little shit!”

The indignant shouts fell to deaf ears, harried footsteps slapping heavily against the concrete pavement as the youthful teen shoved through the opposing crowd. They tossed a frantic glance over their shoulder, eyes trying to pinpoint their silent pursuer, lost and undistinguishable among the sea of nameless faces. They took a sharp turn down a shadowed alley, hoping to find a new path, a new twist to ditch their chaser, only for their steps to be stalled by the wall blocking their path.

“End of the line,” a rough voice speaks from behind.

“P-please! W-what do you want from me?!” the youth pleaded, staring wide-eyed at their pursuer.

“I know what you really are, so there’s no use playing innocent.”

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about!” The teen continued, cowering in trepid fear. “Please! I’m just a kid! I don’t have any money!”

“Yeah, sorry, but Lance isn’t an easy guy to fool,” a new voice spoke. The amused chuckled that followed pulled the teen’s attention to the wall, spying a man sitting on the side of the wall as though it were horizontally flat. The man pushed off from the wall, seeming to glide rather than fall with a controlled pace, feet landing with an impossibly silent touch. He flashed at a grin at the stunned youth, eyes gleaming with a golden aura. “I gotta admit though – even I wouldn’t have noticed if Lance wasn’t so… _intimately_ familiar with _all_ a demon’s ticks~”

A sharp charge snapped through the air, the teen’s demure shifting rapidly as their face scrunched up with rage; black cracks began to appear and spread across their skin, an inhuman sounding hiss escaping as their body jerked and flexed, deforming and reshaping itself. Fiery red eyes burned as they glared at the golden-eye man before it, a flash of white fangs bare amidst the black shadow.

“You – you’re one of usss!” The misshapen form hissed.

“I am not like you,” the man simply replied.

A short metal blade suddenly cut through the shadows, reminding the pair that the other was still presence; the demon hissed indignantly as it twisted out of the way, the blade just barely passing the man’s head as it sunk into the brick wall.

“Ouch – cutting it a little close there, don’t you think Lance?” he mused, a crooked smile on his face.

“And who said I _didn’t_ want to hit you?” Lance simply answered. The man only chuckled in response, raising a finger to draw a circle in the air.

“You know you don’t mean that~”

“Whatever – just stay out of my way,” Lance warned, reaching into his jacket.

“Lance, I don’t think –” The man began, but stopped short as the demon shifted its attention to Lance, charging fast and furious at him, tendrils of shadows spiking out from its body.

“Shut it, Hunk! I can handle it!” Lance drew a small crystal bottle from his jacket, tossing it at the incoming shadow; the glass shattered on impact, a spray of water bathing the creature. An ear-piercing screech bounced off the alley walls, the water burning through the shadowed flesh. The demon receded, blazing red eyes narrowed, watching with a cautious gaze.

A tense beat of silence between them, waiting for the other to give, for the other to fold and provide an opening to strike. Stark white fangs flashed in the dark, the demon releasing a guttural growl as it moved again, seeming to pounce straight at Lance. Lance reached into his jacket again, ready to counter but the demon feigned left, forcing him to move; instead of taking the chance to strike, the demon headed straight for the mouth of the alley, using this opportunity to escape.

It let out a pained shriek as it collided with an invisible force, a heavy shock zapping through its boneless body as it was pushed back. Eyes flaming in fury and harrowing screeches spitting from its tongue, the shadows became less formless, more solid, as it settled into a humanoid shape. Its gaze shot past Lance, heated glare staring at the golden-eyed man, Hunk, his hand raised and a finger pointed as the glow of a faint circle faded into the air.

“You!! You are on the humans’ side?!” The demon spat, baring its teeth in disgust.

“I’m on Lance’s side,” Hunk replied, drawing another circle in the air. The invisible barrier at the mouth of the alley glimmered into view, growing and stretching till it encased the whole alley, blinking once, twice and then dimmed back to nothing. The hackles on the demon’s back rose, practically spitting venom knowing it was completely trapped from all sides.

A dangerous smirk spread across Hunk’s face, taking a step closer to the demon, the aura of a predator spilling off him in waves. Lance stepped between them, holding a hand out as he gave Hunk a harsh glare.

“I told you to stay out of my way,” Lance warned.

“Not to doubt your expertise or anything, but I think this guy is a liiiittle above your pay grade,” Hunk argued, raising a thick brow at Lance.

“Don’t make me shoot you too,” Lance huffed. He cocked his handgun, turning and taking aim at the demon still glaring at them. It let out a broken laugh, more tendrils of inky shadows slithering out of its body.

“You think a basic human object can harm me! You are –!” It barely had a chance to finish as the bang of the shotgun went off, the bullet piercing through one of its tendrils and burning through the dark flesh. The demon let out a howl of pain, flakes of shadows fluttering and evaporating into air. It dodged at the next shot, attaching itself to the wall as it hissed and spat venom at the human.

“What are you?!” It questioned, flurrying about the tiny space in a panic as bullets flew past it.

“The name is Lance, and I am a demon hunter,” Lance simply answered. His next shot landed, the demon curling in pain as it fell to the ground, gurgling and hissing as the wound burned and flaked like flame dancing across paper. Lance approached the crouching demon, cocking his gun to load, holding the barrel at the demon’s head as he glared down at it. “And I will personally hunt and destroy every single one of you until the human world is finally rid of you.”

The demon hissed at him, curling into tighter on itself before spikes of shadow burst from its body; neither Lance nor Hunk could react in time, Lance spitting up blood as the spikes struck him through varies places of his body.

“Lance!” Hunk called out as Lance was thrown back against the wall with a sickening crunch, his limp body sinking down to the ground, leaving a thick trail of blood that pooled around him. The demon uncurled itself, the spikes softening and retreating as it rose, sharp teeth exposed in a triumphant smirk. It stalked towards Lance’s unconscious body, teeth parting with the intent to consume the human flesh before it.

Several rings of gold light encircled its body, letting out a choked grunt as the rings tightened and restricted its movements, trapping the demon in its place. Red eyes rolled, turning to glare at Hunk as it struggled against its bonds; Hunk sighed, looking unamused as he held a hand up, palm up and open.

“I _did_ tell him it was too much without his proper equipment, but as always, he didn’t listen,” he sighed again, giving a quick shrug of his shoulders before a devious grin came to his face. “Ah well, maybe next time he’ll actually listen to me when I tell him he’s under-prepared, but I doubt that.”

The rings tightened even more around the demon, threatening to squeeze its very life as it looked on with panic and fear. The glow in golden eyes became more prominent, strings of black marks appearing across dark skin as the smirk widen, Hunk snapping his hand close into a fist. “Now then – back to the netherworld you go~”

Flames burst from the rings, engulfing the demon as it wailed and shrieked an inhuman tone, its black flesh peeling off and vanishing into the night air till nothing but a burnt print of its own shadow was left behind. Hunk waved a hand and the flames dispersed, the suffocating scent of smoke lingering in the air. He made his way over to Lance’s body, carefully kneeling down close to him to inspect the damage done by the demon; he reached a hand out slowly, wanting to push blood stained curls out of the way of Lance’s face.

A hand bat away his encroaching hand, letting out a huff of amusement at the sharp glare clouded blue eyes were giving him through dirtied strands of brown hair.

“You regained consciousness pretty quick,” Hunk mused.

“Been… Aw’ke… Whole…” Lance managed to gurgle out before he was coughing up more blood.

“Alright hotshot, no more talking for now, okay? I think one of your lungs was punctured in that mess,” Hunk shushed him softly, large hands gentle as he continued to inspect the rest of Lance’s body. Several were superficial wounds, scratches that most humans could walk away from, albeit a bit sorely, but a couple were more severe and definitely would’ve left most humans dead on the spot, but Lance – Lance wasn’t a normal human.

Most of the bleeding already seemed to be slowing down, the flesh already slowly starting to knit and heal itself. _Faster than usual though…_ Hunk noted mentally, comparing this moment to the last time Lance had been this heavily injured in a fight; he couldn’t stop the excited smile at the prospect that Lance’s body was changing, subtle as it may be. A cough and more spatters of blood pulled Hunk from his gleeful musings, eyes meeting Lance’s, watching as the other’s head started to loll to the side a little.

“…How…long…”

“Hmm, I’d say an hour or so? Like I said, one of your lungs is punctured and looks like it might’ve gotten some of your intestines too. Doesn’t look like it hit your stomach, so don’t have to worry about that,” Hunk answered, giving Lance an easy smile as if they weren’t having a morbid conversation. Lance let out a ragged groan, head falling back against the wall, eyes sliding shut as he accepted the estimation and awaited his fate. The healing process has always been a slow one for him, so much so that Lance had been much more cautious, more careful with how he handled his fights in the past; though recently it seems that the healing was becoming faster.

Small cuts, burns, bruises – things that would take even normal humans days, maybe even weeks to heal now only took mere seconds. Of course the bigger the injuries, the longer it took to heal, but Hunk has noticed a significant decrease in the wait time since a hundred years ago – and Lance has noticed too. He has become more reckless, more ambitious in his cause of ridding the mortal plain of demons for good, willing to forego the condition of his own body in order to pursue a demon; a quality Hunk both loved and loathed in the hunter.

Hunk moved to sit next to Lance, resisting the urge to tease as the other leaned heavily against him, despite his previous animosity towards him. He could claim despise all he wanted; he could be cold, uncaring and pull away all he wanted, but deep, deep down Hunk knew – he knew of the slight affections Lance held for him, even if the hunter would never admit them out loud.

Then again – Hunk was no different himself.

Golden eyes turned to gaze at Lance, a soft smile coming to Hunk’s face as he listened to the short gasps even out, becoming regular and steady as the hunter’s body continued to heal and knit itself; they turned to the cloudless night sky, lit up by the city lights as though it were still day. He could still see it, despite it being hundreds of years ago, the memory of that night was still vibrant, never fading and burnt permanently into his mind. It was the catalyst that would change his whole existence and purpose, and not once did he regret the decision he made.

-8-

It was not uncommon for humans to become “demon” hunters; in fact, he believed it to be part of human nature. After all, human emotions were, to a demon, quite basic. Once one determined the right emotion that dominated a human’s mind, it was all too easy for a demon to manipulate them, to pull the strings and play the human right into their hands.

So it was not so inconceivable that humans would rise up and hunt down the demons in their mortal world. Many did it for self-serving reasons – revenge, community praise, heroism, fame and fortune; no matter how “righteous” or “self-sacrificing” they claim to be, demon hunters were only human in the end and thus, still fell prey to the whims and temptations of demons.

And then _he_ came along.

Hunk had not been present himself, but he knew of Lance’s beginnings, of his origin. He remembered the group of demons who had attacked a human family, how they bragged so cruelly about slaughtering everyone but one boy, how they had let him lived, marred his face to serve as a constant reminder of what he lost – of the pain and suffering they had inflicted on him. It came as no surprise to learn that the boy who they let live grew to become a hunter.

He would be coming for revenge.

At the time, Hunk had no care for this hunter, knowing the fate that would be his eventual end. Hunters who sought revenge, those who sought the world searching for the demons who wronged them, never lasted long. They would shut out the world around them, solely focused on bringing some misguided justice for themselves and the longer their hunt went on, the more desperate they would become. They would lose their purpose, their drive, becoming listless, jaded – empty. And that is when a demon would swoop in for the final blow, break the hunter down till nothing remains but a shell of their former self.

This hunter was not going to be any different from the others – at least, that’s what they had all thought. The group thought it’d be humorous, delightful even, to taunt the man, give him a peek of the fruitless path he chose to venture on, the taste of finally having vengeance always out of his reach, satisfaction never being more than a pipe dream.

Those demons never returned.

In fact, none in or out of their realm heard from them again. The occurrence was simply brushed off, nothing that concerned other demons and even Hunk felt no remorse or curiosity of their fates. They had been nothing more than a blip among thousands and thousands of others that lived between worlds; one small group of demons disappearing without a word was inconsequential.

Then more and more demons began disappearing in the wisps.

The news had spread fast and wild – the hunter with the scarred face, a human who stalked and destroyed demons as many before him have done, a human who could not be swayed or deterred no matter what was offered to him. Those who barely managed to escape his grasp were few and far, those who survived whispering his presence with fear and trepidation in the tales they told – he was unlike any human they had ever faced.

For the first time in hundreds of years, Hunk was intrigued.

He had long grown bored of playing with human lives, bored of the repetitive behaviors humans exhibited over and over again, bored of same dry tastes the souls left in his mouth. If this hunter was as different as they claim him to be, well – Hunk just had to see for himself; and if this was true, that would make the game all the more sweet, and Hunk enjoyed a good challenge.

He simply observed from a distance, wanting to get a feel of this human’s ticks, to see if he really was as impressive as the others have claimed. He had to admire this man’s tenacity though; it didn’t matter how far he had to travel, if news of a demon stirring trouble reached his ears, he would travels for days, barely stopping for rest, till he reached his destination. He never accepted praise, or rewards, or even status – he would simply accept the gratitude, pack up his belongings and continue on to the next mark.

Hunk noticed that the hunter did not just only kill demons either – he watched them, _studied_ them, jotted down notes and notes about them; he memorised every little trick, every little movement displayed by the demons he hunted, categorizing them, sorting them into classes that not even Hunk knew was so varied and unique among them. Hunk had caught himself wondering what class the hunter would put him in should they ever meet face to face.

This went on for years, Hunk always lurking from the safety of the shadows, the hunter completely oblivious to his presence as he continued his work. The human only seemed to grow more deadly, always improving his tactics, his arsenal of weapons, never once falling victim to the countless offers, each becoming more extravagant than the last, every demon brought before him, hoping to catch him off guard. He didn’t even falter when a demon offered him a chance to speak to his family one more time.

That moment always sent shivers through Hunk’s bones, remembering the hard, cold stare the hunter gave the demon, simply stating his family was gone and nothing the demon could offer would ever bring them back. Hunk had held a small moment of pity for the demon as the hunter vanquished it, the feeling quickly dissipating as the air cleared and the forest fell silent again.

Hunk was never really sure why he didn’t approach the hunter sooner, or why he chose to continue watching him so distantly for so long; perhaps he wanted to see just how long this human could go, how long he could keep his harden walls up before the lonely hardship of a demon hunter’s life chipped away at him. Whatever the reason, if Hunk had known the fate that would befall the hunter on that fateful night, maybe he would have introduced himself much sooner.

A missing child – that was what the hunter had responded to, knowing it had been the work of demons; he swore to the family and the village that he would retrieve the child safely and rid them of the monsters haunting them. Hunk should’ve known it was a trap, a ploy to lure the hunter out where he’d be vulnerable, exposed and easy to pick off. Several demons were waiting for the human, the frighten girl trembling in their claws with tears pricking her eyes.

Hunk watched, admonished, as the hunter readily threw down his weapons, demanding the demons release the girl – he knew what they were really after. The demons laughed among themselves, but nonetheless let the child down, the hunter giving her a nod of his head behind him; she hesitated a moment before taking off as quickly as her clumsy legs could. Everything moved in a blur as the hunter dove for his discarded weapons, letting out a grunt as the demons weighed him down, another breaking from the group and charging at the girl.

For a moment, Hunk felt his body move before he could process his thoughts, unsure what he was even going to do as the girl stumbled to the grassy forest ground, eyes wide with fear and letting out a terrified sob as the demon’s claws reached for her. A flash of light sprung up from the ground, slicing through the demon’s outstretched hand, circling around the group, separating them from the girl. A light laugh rang among the confusion, all eyes turning to the hunter still pinned beneath them, a rare ghost of a smile on his face; he had known.

He knew this whole time they had no intentions of letting the girl go.

Never in a million years would Hunk admit it, but for the first time in his long, unending existence – he was shocked. He heard the hunter shout out to the girl to keep running, to run back to her village, to her family. She was frozen, but only for a moment, stumbling back up to her feet and ran off through the ticket of trees and into the blanket of night. Hunk could only watch in a daze – he knew the hunter was dedicated, willing to receive a few scruffs and scuffles here and there if he could save a life, could destroy a demon, but this…

No, even the hunter had to know he was going to die this night.

Frustrated growls and howls snapped Hunk’s attention back to the sealed circle, the demons trying to break through the barrier the hunter had set up, trapping them all together. Pained shrieks and wails pierced through the night air as the hunter tossed an open vial of water at the demons, freeing himself from their weight as he drew his blades. He held their heavy silver weight with pride and confidence, despite that he had to know he was gravely outnumbered and outmatched. It was the most alive Hunk had ever seen the human, watching as he practically danced between the demons, disabling as many as he could, vanquishing whoever he could with his limited resources and the cramped space.

Sadly, no matter how skilled or how knowledgeable he was, he was still only just one man; his blades cracked, splintering under the crushing pressure from the blow, another demon taking the moment to spear him through his torso. He coughed up blood, grounding his teeth as another jumped at the chance to slice off his arm, Hunk watching with a blank stare as the appendage fell to the ground. The hunter started to go limp, his reminding hand weakly gripping at the demon still skewering through his body, the fire in his bright blue eyes not even dulling one bit.

Finally Hunk emerged from the shadows, not wishing to watch the human be decapitated as one of the demons formed a sharp bladed edge from their own flesh, raising it high above them for such action. Hunk placed a hand on the barrier, feeling its power and inwardly impressed a human could do such a feat of magic… however, it was still weak compared to Hunk’s own magic. He crumbled the barrier easily, earning him the attention of all, giving them a lazy smile.

“That’s enough – your leisure time is over,” he said.

“Hmpf, wait your turn if you want a piece of this human – we are not done with him yet.” The demon still holding the hunter scoffed, raising the human higher as though it would solidify their claim further.

“Actually, if you don’t mind, I think I’ll take the whole human, thanks,” Hunk stated. He raised a finger to draw a circle in the air, several rings of gold appearing beneath the feet of the demons. None of them could react fast enough, streams of light engulfing them, striping them away piece by piece; while Hunk may not have the power to destroy another demon as humans can, he could still send them back to their netherworld.

The hunter’s body fell to the ground, no longer being held up by the demon as they dissipated with the light; he let out a disgruntled noise, unmoving and just barely alive as he cling to the last fraying threads of his life. Hunk made his way over to the human, kneeling over him as he flashed him a cocky grin, admiring the way those deep sapphire eyes still burned with fight.

“Still have enough energy to glare at me, I see,” he mused. The hunter spat at his face, blood mixing with his saliva as he did so, but Hunk didn’t even flinch. He wiped the wetness from his cheek, arms folding over his knees as he gazed down at the hunter with a knowing look.

“You know, you have quite the reputation among demons – they say you cannot be swayed or bought, that you will not be tempted by tantalizing offers many have made you,” Hunk began, watching as the hunter’s breathes starting to become laboured, shallow, but the glare never wavering. He could feel his smirk widening, feeling the almost forgotten twinge of excitement when striking against the impossible odds. “So allow me to make you an offer even someone of your caliber will not be able to resist~”

Hunk put his hand to his own chest, letting out a deep breath as he pushed it beyond his own flesh, fingers sinking through like they would through water; a bright light glowed as he pulled his hand back out, a golden sphere floating in the palm of his hand. He gripped the orb in both hands, breaking it into two, even halves; he held one half out towards the hunter, seeing the skeptical, yet curious look in his eyes.

“I will give you half of my – ‘soul’, so to speak; it will extend your life, allowing you to continue your work as a hunter, however…” Hunk licked his lips in anticipation, knowing this would be the thing to make or break this deal. “You will be bound to me for all eternity. So… what is your answer, hunter?”

He could see it – the rush of clashing emotions and reasons running through the hunter’s head, the subtle hitch in his breath and the silent irritated growl at even considering the offer for just a moment. However as the light of life began to fade fast from his eyes, as he struggled to keep himself bound to his fragile flesh, the crease in his thin brows relaxed, gaze shifting away in shame as he allowed himself one final exhale, body going lax in defeat. Hunk could feel the corners of his mouth stretching wide across his face as he sunk half his “soul” into the hunter’s chest.

That was all he needed.

-8-

Hunk merely watched as Lance paced around the alley, gathering up his things and wiping the dust, dirt and whatever else off of them before tucking them away into his jacket. He brushed the dirt off his clothes, but had no care for the dried blood caked on to them, ready to waltz right out of the alley and into the still crowded streets; Hunk shook his head, stopping Lance and turning him around, putting a hand to his chest, a warm glow emitting from his palm.

“Come on Lance, you can’t just walk out with blood stains on your shirt,” he chided.

“It’s fucking New York – no one is going to give two shits to a random guy walking around with blood on his pants,” Lance huffed, but made no effort to pull away as the dark stains faded from his clothes. Hunk only sighed, slowly spinning Lance around to ensure he got most of the obviously noticeable blood spots; satisfied that Lance was suitable enough to walk out in the open without a causing a scene, he patted his head, earning him a growl and smack to his hand. He chuckled as Lance stomped away from him, putting a hand to the bubble still blocking the outside world to them, easily dismantling it with little effort – he was getting better at disabling Hunk’s magic.

“Now are you absolutely sure you’re completely healed?” Hunk asked, earning him a not-so-subtle eye roll.

“Yes, I’m healed. Can we just go already? This alley reeks and the blood is not helping,” Lance snapped.

“Hey, hey, don’t get testy with me – I just wanna make sure you’re not rushing again,” Hunk nagged. “Last time you broke a bone and didn’t give it time to heal properly, so it healed all wrong and we had to break it again to set it right.”

“Well I don’t have any broken bones this time, do I? Now let’s just fucking go already – I’m tired.” Lance’s stomach grumbled along with his complaints, a slight blush coming to his cheeks as he turned away from Hunk. “…and hungry too.”

“Alright – I’ll even draw you a nice hot bath when we get home~” Hunk laughed, light and warm as he came up to Lance’s side, sliding an arm around his shoulder and led them out of the alley. “Any special requests for dinner tonight?” he asked, giving Lance’s shoulder a small squeeze, seeing the blush darken in colour.

“…will you make that chicken pasta dish you made last week? That was pretty good…” Lance muttered, eyes not leaving the sidewalk as they strolled along. Hunk smiled, soft and adoring as he pulled his arm back, hand sliding down till it reached Lance’s, lacing their fingers together.

“Of course; sounds like we have a new favourite, huh~?” Hunk teased, loving the way Lance huffed and puffed as he denied it. Hunk gave him a light squeeze, enjoying the warmth of Lance’s palm in his; it didn’t matter how many centuries passed, he would never tire of this feeling, even if its origin was twisted and questionable at best.

As they weaved between the throngs of people, Hunk let his mind wander, as it tended to after every demon encounter. He remembered all the times Lance had tried to ditch him, only for their shared bond to bring them back together. The times Lance used to scour entire continents in hopes of finding a loophole that would allow him to sever his ties to Hunk and yet still keep his renewed life. There were even a few memorable times when Lance has tried to kill him, not caring if it would mean the end of his own life; Hunk looked back on those with fondness. He almost missed those tensed moments, the constant push and pull of trying to one up the other, even if they both knew Lance would never commit to the deed in the end.

But that – that had been a good few centuries ago; as the world changed and shifted so did their relationship.

They watched as the world became more technologically advance, more convenient, the legends and myths of demons fading to nothing more than that – myths, stories to tell and dismiss. Though that did not mean they still didn’t exist; they simply adapted, reshaped themselves to fit the modern human world, giving birth to a whole new way of life to exploit and use at their whims. And just like the demons, Lance grew with the world, adapted himself, learned all their new technologies and combined it with his old world knowledge, which to be fair – made him even far more dangerous than he has ever been when he had only his blessed water and swords.

Hunk spared a glance to the man walking by his side, the scars slashed across his face becoming more prominent in the glaring neon lights of the shops. He had not expected Lance to take to the new world so easily or as quickly as he did, barely hesitating to embrace the mannerisms and customs that became the norms of this modern world. He flowed like water, calm and deceptively passive as he followed the force of the world and yet – when the stormed brewed, he could easily wash away the obstacles opposing his path. Hunk had long concluded that this – _this_ is what truly made Lance a force to be reckon with, the thing that made Lance the most feared human among the demons.

A new twinge of excitement fluttered in Hunk’s gut, eager to see where this river that is Lance would flow, eager to see how Lance would continue to change – in more ways than he realised at the present moment. Hunk would keep it a secret for now, and while it was such an insignificant thing, back in the alley during the fight, Hunk had noticed Lance’s raging ocean blue eyes flash a familiar golden yellow. It sent Hunk on a giddy high knowing as their bond deepened, more and more of Hunk’s own demonic aura would slowly seep into Lance’s, tying them even closer together. He had a feeling Lance would not be so willing to adhere to such changes, but then again – maybe by the time they reach that point, their relationship will shift again and Lance may be more accepting.

Either way, Hunk could not wait till the day when Lance’s horns would start to grow.


End file.
